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NBC Executive Leaks Netflix, Amazon Viewership Ratings At TCAs

During NBCUniversal’s Television Critic’s Association press tour panel, the network’s president of research and media development Alan Wurtzel, offered an answer to the long-standing question about the actual number of people out there watching Netflix shows.

According to Wurtzel, data collected from 15,000 users by San Francisco-based tech firm Symphony Advanced Media showed that Marvel’s Jessica Jones and Amazon’s adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s alternative history novel Man in the High Castle were the best performers for each of the streaming leaders.

An average of 4.8 million viewers in the adults 18-49 group watched an episode of the Marvel drama during this period, while 2.1 million reportedly viewed Amazon’s most watched original series ever. For Netflix, that means Jessica Jones performs as well as some of broadcast’s best performing series, including ABC’s How to Get Away With Murder and Modern Family.

In order to retrieve this data, Symphony measured the average episodic audience within the prized 18 to 49 demographic over a 35 day period for every new Netflix series that premiered between September and December. The company was able to record the data through the use of automatic content recognition (ACR) software embedded within a mobile app.

Wurtzel later admitted that the data was in the beta stage, but still defended its validity.